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MCN Fleet: Bobber v Commute

Published:
05 July 2017

I ride everyday no matter the weather. Bikes are my main form of transport and they need to be able to keep up with the rigours of commuting everyday in unpredictable British weather. Take one look at the Bobber, and as beautiful as it is, it doesn’t look like a bike built for commuting or practicality.

When the weather’s good the Bobber is a great bike to ride. Vented jacket, short gloves, short boots. Perfect, but this is Britain, and good weather is never guaranteed. This is where the Bobber falls down.

Like all other stripped back cruisers it’s just not a fun bike to ride in the cold or wet. The riding position means wind gets up the sleeves of my jacket, which isn’t welcome on cold rides, and the lack of bodywork means you get absolutely soaked in wet weather while the bike gets filthy.

I don’t own a garage, which means the Bobber lives outside under a cover, but even after just two weeks of ownership the brake discs started to turn orange at the edges and the many brushed metal parts on the engine started to dull. It’s almost summer, the bike has never seen winter so it’s going to take a bit of work to keep it looking good.

The adjustable clocks have also had a wobble, literally. I hit a pothole which was much bigger than it looked and loosened the bolt which the clock swivel on. For the next few miles, until I pulled over to tighten it up, the clocks just wobbled about in the wind like a wind sock.

So, as you would expect, the Bobber isn’t the most practical bike for using everyday, but just look at it.